Houston physical therapist discusses her work helping people with Parkinson’s: 'They were amazed at their progress'

Susha Thomas has a passion for treating patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Thomas has been a physical therapist for more than 20 years and is currently the director of therapy at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Houston. She also volunteers with the Houston Area Parkinson’s Society.

Thomas said that throughout her career, she has noticed that while Parkinson’s patients often give up hope, there are things that can be done to help manage their symptoms. She compares Parkinson’s patients to those recovering from strokes, in terms of how the brain can relearn how to do certain tasks that can quantifiably help them in the long term. Thomas gives these tips and techniques to her patients, and has seen beneficial results, she said.

With her experience treating and helping Parkinson’s patients, Thomas wrote a book called “Parkinson’s Disease: Reclaim Your Life - Tips to help manage your symptoms,” which was released in October 2022. The book is a compilation of the strategies Thomas has used to help people with Parkinson’s. It also includes illustrations by her children. The book was recently selected to be displayed at the World Parkinson’s Conference, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain, in July.

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, and Houston Daily reached out to Thomas for more information about her book. She said people with Parkinson’s are an often-overlooked population, with patients being told that since the disease is a progressive disorder, they would only keep getting worse. However, through her work with patients and providing them with tips to manage symptoms, she noted their improvement and realized that help is possible.

"They were amazed at their progress after I started working with them," Thomas told Houston Daily. "I saw this time and time again, and this inspired me to jot down my suggestions and tips into a book so it could spread hope to this population and remove the stigma that progress cannot be made with this diagnosis. The brain is an amazing organ – it can create new pathways and be retrained. With proper training and using the right strategies, this new pathway can be created and the patient will learn to do things bigger. This will help manage a majority of their symptoms. My book focuses on a bunch of symptoms and what patients can do to overcome those symptoms."

Thomas dedicated the book to her mother, Saramma Zacharia, who passed away from colon cancer at the young age of 53. Her mother was a nurse and made it her mission to help those who couldn’t help themselves. 

"She taught me the value of helping the ones who are overlooked, and showing compassion and kindness to everyone," Thomas said. 

When asked about her most memorable patient, Thomas recounted a case where a man with Parkinson's became unable to write checks, as his handwriting had become illegible. He handled the family's finances and became depressed over the thought of having to burden his wife with having to take over his responsibility. Thomas worked with him on therapy and helped him practice writing sample checks, focusing on writing in a larger font until he saw positive results. 

"The next week, his wife came up to me with tears of joy, gave me a big hug and said, 'He’s able to write checks again and I can read them. I never thought he’d be able to do this again,'" Thomas said. "It’s moments like this that inspired me to jot down my suggestions into a book."

There have been advancements in technology and science to help patients with Parkinson’s, but Thomas said the best way to manage symptoms is through physical exercise. 

"There are apps that are available to help with improving voice quality, there are metronomes available that assist with walking to a beat to help combat some of the freezing episodes commonly seen in Parkinson’s and much more," she said. "Boxing is a great exercise for Parkinson’s patients. Exercise is the only proven thing that helps manage symptoms – so get out there and get active."

Thomas said it is an honor for her book to be chosen for display at the World Parkinson’s Conference, and that is an inspiration for her to continue spreading awareness about the disease.

"Everyone needs to know that with the right tips and strategies, symptoms can be managed, quality of life can be improved and ultimately caregiver burden will be decreased," she said. "Together, let’s remove the stigma of this disease and bring back hope."